This is our third year on this contest.  AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest 99 is a global cooperation and Website-building activity for students from seven to 18 years old.  Using Internet technologies to communicate, 100 teams build Websites on topics that they choose.   The topic this year will be on the Internet. We would talk about the impact of technology as well as the technology itself. We have the opportunity to look at differences throughout the world (culturally and also differences from legislation, etc.) that allow us to do something more interesting than technology itself. For example, we can talk about how each culture is dealing with the growing connectedness and the place the computer is taking in our lives. We can also talk about how different governments have reacted differently to the growing explosion of the Internet.

This year we form a team with 

Monte Vista High School, USA 
KTA de Merodelei Turnhout, Belgium
Wah Yan College, Kowloon, Hong Kong
 

Open Source Movement

In late 1997 when a student developer of our school asked for a license of NT server for his testing at home.  As such usage could not be covered by the MOLP AE license and there was no discount for student purchase, we could have spent almost the whole year's budget on license.  This also awakened us to the ethical problem of piracy if we continued the development on NT platform.  A decision had to be made.  Thus we started to replace server solutions on NT platform with open source alternatives. 

While we were researching on Linux and related free solutions, we were inspired by the spirit behind the free software movement.  "Free software" gives users the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software.  In this direction, students' potential in problem solving as well as their creativity were triggered.  A lot of ideas in deploying Linux solutions were found in just a few months.  We have simply fallen in love with open source solutions.  Money can buy software but not the spirit of freedom.  It's good education to let students experience the joy of serving, contributing and sharing their knowledge with others. 

Now, the majority of server solutions Wah Yan uses are Open Source and on Unix/Linux platform.  We are  using Open Source solutions on DNS, gateway, mail server, web server, proxy server, database server, video streaming as well as NT domain controller.
 
 

In 1996, a team of biology teachers and students decided to set up a natural trail in the school campus. They were ambitious and devoted to the task. They are doing first hand research on the school campus. With the sponsorship of Quality Education Fund, commerical grade server and professional graphics workstation are bought in 1998. This phase required advanced techniques on computer system and web design. It would be a nice combination of nature and technology. The students with environmental minds meet the students with digital minds. They are young men with dreams. Yes, it's only a vision at the beginning. But what if it come true? The quality education of tomorrow will incorporate Information Technology and a new kind of students' participation. Wah Yan Path On-line is a biology project in the digital age. That's why students in SCT are putting their souls and hearts into research and development to find new ways of applying the Information Technology to enhance the project. Now, Wah Yan Path is going on-line.

Let's see how amazing the work can be ... http://path.wyk.edu.hk/

The AT&T Virtual Classroom (http://www.vc.attjens.co.jp/) is a virtual space on the Internet where students from around the world can come together to learn from each other. In this contest, three schools from different countries (at least one from the Asia Pacific region) form a team, or "virtual classroom." In Contest 98 up to 300 elementary, junior and senior high schools will participate in 100 teams. 

Our group is formed by:
1: International School of General Education School (St. Peterburg, Russia)
2: Wah Yan College, Kowloon
3: F. Donald Myers Education Center (Saratoga Springs, New York, USA)

Our Project Title: Grand Cruise

Project Description:
All three schools agreed to make the main focus on communication between the team members. For this purpose we are going to build and inhabit a ship going to Grand Cruise. During the voyage team members will be discussing great variety of topics important for young people. 

The Grand Curise will be an excellent record of the life and work of the participants during the past months. Besides learning in class, students are given many opportunities through activities to grow and mature emotionally and socially. 

We got a special merit on design.  Click here for more information.

Here it is: http://ftp2.vc.attjens.co.jp/vc_64/